While the common computer and business user has started migrating largely to
notebook computers from desktops, the PC gamer is still holding mainly to the
desktop PC because of its upgradability and more powerful graphics and CPUs.
However, NVIDIA is working on its mobile graphics offerings for gamers looking
for notebooks that can play the latest video games.

NVIDIA’s latest line of graphics processors for notebooks not only promises
improved gaming performance, but also promises to help save power and increase
battery life with better efficiency. The GeForce Mobile line has expanded to
include cards in the 9800M
and 9700M families.

The NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX uses the G92 core and is the top-of-the-line
mobile GPU from NVIDIA. The card has a core frequency of 500MHz and uses 112
shaders each running at 1250MHz. The card is capable of 420 gigaflops and uses
a 256-bit memory interface. The 9800M GTX is capable of operating in SLI mode
as well.

The 9800M GT is the next step down and runs on the G94 core. The core
frequency is 500MHz with 96 shaders running at 1250MHz. The GPU is capable of
360 gigaflops. The NVIDIA 9800M GTS also uses the G94 core with a
frequency of 500MHz. The card has 64 shaders running at 600MHz and is capable
of 288 gigaflops.

The 9700M series includes the GeForce 9700M GTS and 9700M GT. The 9700M GTS
uses the G94 core running at 530MHz and features 48 shaders running at 1325MHz.
The GPU is capable of 190.8 gigaflops. The lowest end 9700M GT uses the G96
core at 625Mhz and features 32 shaders running at 1550Mhz. Performance from the
9700M GT is 148.8 gigaflops. All of these mobile GPUs are capable of utilizing
NVIDIA’s Hybrid Power to save battery life.

Yep. And companies have been touting the "upgradability" of mobile graphics cards that utilize Nvidia's MXM PCI-E mobile standard for a while. Clevo based rigs such as Sager, Alienware, Widow, the Asus C90S and many others have advertised it, but it's only partly true.

While you CAN "upgrade" the graphics cards, you are limited to a selection of about... three cards, and even then, only within the same graphics generation. There is no one standard for power or hardware allowing you to swap them out, leading companies to develop specific requirements on a per model basis (usually for the sake of cost and/or battery life).

That, and some companies (like Toshiba) still make proprietary MXM for their hardware which prevent you from adopting a better card. If you had an 8700M from an Satellite X205 you couldn't swap it with an Alienware M9750... despite the fact they both run the same basic graphics card. Compounding that fact is that there are many variations on MXM (MXM III, MXM IV, etc) and they're not forwards or backwards compatible.

It's sort of like Alienware selling 4GB of RAM on a chipset that can only detect up to 2.5GB of RAM. What they advertise is still true, but the limitations negate any benefit.

Agreed. I've owned exactly three laptops so far, along with numerous variations of desktops (the last 4 of which were in the same case).

The first two laptops were both "gaming laptops", aka big, heavy, low battery life machines that I bought as portable game machines. The problem with each one was that, once the graphics chip died, what was left? On one, I was left with a black screen and parts. On another, I was lucky enough to be able to use basic graphics (login and use Windows, etc), but could not even play anything as simple as Civ 4.

Either way, if it were a desktop, I'd just buy a new graphics card, and likely a much better one since it was now 2-3 years since they were new. But for these, I'd have to buy a whole new motherboard, if a replacement is even available, just to fix one part, and only get the same 2-3 year old tech in the process.

Now I have a "netbook", which does the same things my second failed "portable gaming machine" does, only better, more portable, and with longer battery life. Oh, and I leave my gaming to the desktop that was built for it.